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Celebrating the Incredible Volunteers of the West Region

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G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders)TM are changing the world every day and our incredible volunteers are leading them to those successes. From community partner events to Gold Award projects and community service, Girl Scouts are having the time of their lives and learning life skills from their leaders and volunteers. On Sunday, June 4, we were able to honor and thank the inspiring volunteers from across our West Region.

The West Region event was held in Topeka, KS and welcomed families and Girl Scouts from the region. Girl Scouts and volunteers alike enjoyed our G.I.R.L photo booth, learned about region successes, chatted with friends and saw the awesome things Girl Scouts are accomplishing. Our West Region volunteers rock!

At the awards ceremony, we honored 5 outstanding individuals with the Appreciation Pin, an award that recognizes outstanding service given to at least one service unit. These are the stand-out volunteers that make a real impact on the lives of girls.  We also honored Service Unit 715’s Recruitment Team with the Recruitment Award and the “Be More, Do More” Training Team from Service Unit 701 with the Innovator award! Thank you, volunteer teams! Many more awards were presented and you can see a full list at the link below.

Philanthropy is vital to the success of Girl Scouts, so we wanted to recognize three awesome philanthropists from the West. Rosalyn Carr was honored as the Daisy’s Circle Philanthropist, Barby Craft was honored with the Philanthropist Award and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation received the Corporate Philanthropist Award. Thank you for investing in girls!

It was an awesome event in the West and we thank everyone that was able to join us! Because of your hard work, dedication, and recognition of the power of G.I.R.L.s, you are making the world a better place by inspiring young women. Thank you to all the volunteers who make our council amazing.

To see a full list of awardees and photos from the event, view our program and gallery.

5 Things to do Outdoors this Summer

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Summer is here and it came FAST! We rounded up some ideas for ways for Girl Scouts, their friends and family to enjoy the outdoors this summer! Whether you harvest your own food, go back in time, learn a new water skill or something else equally as awesome, we hope you enjoy your time outside with others this summer!

 

Pick Your Own Fruit & Berries

There are many places around our area that are You-Pick-Its! If you’re looking for fresh blueberries, The Berry Patch in Cleveland, MO is the place for you! Stock up on that summer fruit and freeze anything you won’t eat right away! If variety is what you’re looking for than head out to Bates City, MO to John & Linda’s U-Pick Berry Farm and get your hands on a wide variety of fruits and vegetables all summer long!

 

Outdoor Water Skills

Canoe, kayak, paddle board or just learn a new outdoor water skill this summer! Use the Missouri State Parks and Kansas State Parks websites to find a body of water close to you with equipment rental! Just remember to follow all safety rules and regulations!

 

Country Cabin Village

Take part in the famous Saturday night Chuck Wagon Dinner at the Country Cabin Village in Kidder, MO on June 17! This will be the last dinner until fall, but Country Cabin Village is open year-round and you can shop any of their seven shops that include a made-from-scratch Bake Shop, Fashion Boutique, Primitive Shop and more!

 

Shoal Creek Living History Museum

Step back in time and go on a self-guided tour of the Shoal Creek Living History museum located in Hodge Park just outside of Liberty, MO! If you want to make the most of your visit, plan to visit on the first Saturday of the month with the village will be alive with reenactors like Gunfighters, Outlaws, Civil War Soldiers, and Mountain Men!

 

Combat Air Museum

Located in Topeka, KS, the Combat Air Museum has 36 aircrafts in their collection at the Topeka Regional Airport/Forbes Field! Some aircrafts date back to World War I and World War II. Tour many aircrafts outside then continue your visit inside and learn more about the history of aviation!

We want to know how you’re getting outdoors this summer so drop us a note in the comments below or share on social media using #gsoutdoors!

5 Things to LOVE About the NEW GSKSMO.org

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Girl Scouts is no stranger to change. With the ever-changing state of girls, we have to adapt constantly to make sure we’re keeping up with our amazing G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders)TM! Today, we’re launching an awesome council upgrade that will make the digital Girl Scouting experience better for everyone.

Introducing the brand new www.GSKSMO.org! This new website is streamlined to be more efficient, adaptive and help YOU connect with the opportunities that Girl Scouts offers. Here are some of the best things about the new website. For a full tour, check out our site tour video here: https://youtu.be/hVaCN5kIing

  1. Searchability

Finding things on gsksmo.org just got a whole lot easier. With an improved search function site wide, you’ll be able to locate what you’re looking for even faster than before. This search feature is especially amped up for our activities calendar, helping you find events you’d like to attend.

  1. Adaptable

Our new website adapts to your screen! Whether you’re on a laptop, mobile device or PC, the website works around you, making it easier to navigate on the go.

  1. News

Get your Girl Scout news here! You’ll now be able to stay up-to-date on news even easier with a news section right on the main page. It even integrates with the blog, so you won’t miss a story. Upcoming events are also featured on the front page so you can see some top activities coming up at GSKSMO.

  1. Consolidated Pages

The GSKSMO team worked hard to make sure your web navigation experience is the best it’s ever been. Over the spring, the staff took a hard look at every page on our website to make sure everything is up-to-date, consolidated, and easy to use. Taking years of feedback from Girl Scout families about the website, we have created a streamlined experience that puts the information you need just a few clicks away.

 

  1. GSUSA Link

Our website now directly links with GSUSA, making sure information is updated nationwide as needed. This means we’re better aligned as a global movement and unified in our messaging and dedication to the world’s best untapped resource – girls!

Now that you’ve seen some of the top 5 features, check out our website for yourself! Visit www.gsksmo.org to experience our new web platform and find even more opportunities to watch your Girl Scout shine!  Comment below with your favorite thing about the new website!

Team J. Gordon Low Resistance

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Spotlight on FIRST LEGO League Participants, Troop 1987

What started out as an ordinary troop trip to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS had an extraordinary impact on the Girl Scout Juniors in Troop 1987 from Gardener, KS! After learning how to program an FLL (FIRST LEGO League) robot, Troop 1987 left curious and wanting more!

At their next troop meeting, they voted to officially form an FLL team to compete and named themselves J. Gordon Low Resistance – after the founder of Girl Scouts and in a nod to the basic principles of electricity! They used their cookie proceeds to purchase their first kit – a $700 value and immediately got to work!

 

Dianne and Andy Stevens, troop leaders, were thrilled to see this newfound passion in their girls and pledged to double as troop leaders and coaches in this new adventure! Troop 1987/ J. Gordon Low Resistance committed to meeting twice a week to prepare for the spring competition season while also participating in traditional Girl Scout activities.

“FIRST LEGO League Overlaps really well with Girl Scout values,” Dianne said! FLL is completely girl/child-led; the adults act as coaches, guiding their team to the best or correct answers and FLL has a set of Core Values that teams pledge to follow (similar to the Girl Scout Promise and Law) that are as important as the robotic challenges themselves.

The FLL program is three-fold:

  1. Core Values – 8 basic principles that teams pledge to practice and adhere to.

Troop 1987/ J. Gordon Low Resistance practices their Core Values in every single meeting. Sometimes it’s in the work and practices itself, other times they do various team building exercises like figuring out how to fold and unfold a towel while all six members are standing upon it! They can recite the values and it is evident in talking to them that they truly believe in them.

  1. The Project – focused on a different theme each year, each team spends the year identifying a problem, designing a solution and then shares it with others through a judged competition and interview process.

The 2016 FLL theme was Animal Allies. After much discussion of animal and human interactions, the girls put together a project called the Hazenator to help Kansas farmers prevent coyote attacks on their livestock. One of the team members told a story about how her family’s livestock was attacked by coyotes. They wanted to invent a way to scare coyotes and protect sheep without killing the coyotes. The invented a drone that works with a bark collar on a sheep dog! In developing their solution, Troop 1987/ J. Gordon Low Resistance interviewed Dr. Julie K. Young, a specialist in coyotes, and she was seriously impressed with their solution!

  1. The Robot Game – designed around various missions, teams program their robot to complete missions quickly and effectively. The game is where teams spend a majority of their time working and scrimmaging to practice before competing locally and nationally!

The robot used by Troop 1987 was a basic robot EV3 with one color sensor. They used LEGO Mindstorms to code the missions and wrote pseudo code before they input the actual code! When their robot arrived, they had a building party to assemble the robot, as well as all the elements for the Animal Allies game. The pieces all play a role in what the robot has to do, navigating itself around the board!

Many of the girls in the troop have been together since first grade. As they get older there are other new and exciting opportunities to be a part of that draw girls away from Girl Scouting. Having formed themselves as a competing robotics troop, girls were eager to stay involved in Girl Scouts and they even recruited two new members!

As a rookie team that got a late start, J. Gordon Low Resistance accomplished some bold feats this year! They competed at a local competition the three categories above and took home the Innovative Solution Award for their Hazenator Project!

Whether Girl Scouts are being lifelong learners at camp, pioneers through travel, or dreamers and inventors through robotics, they are preparing themselves for a lifetime of leadership!

Know a super cool troop like 1987? Tell us about them using the comments section below. We love featuring our Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers  and Leaders!

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating the Awe-Inspiring Volunteers of the East Region

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It takes a village to raise G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders)TM, and thanks to Girl Scout volunteers, girls haven an amazing circle of support! On Thursday, May 4, we were able to honor and thank the incredible volunteers across our East Region.

2017 East Region Volunteer Award Recipients

The East Region Volunteer Celebration was a Mad Hatter event! Everyone arrived in their wackiest hats or made them there at the hat creation station. Girl Scouts enjoyed our G.I.R.L photo booth, and there were plenty of goodies for everyone to eat in the reception following the awards ceremony. It was a night of fun, celebration and appreciation! We love our East Region volunteers!

At the awards ceremony, we presented the President’s Award to 10 incredible service units who are providing girls with amazing experiences in the East region (SU 604, SU 605, SU 607, SU 618, SU 620, SU 646, SU 648, SU 649, SU 654 and SU 655 – way to go!).  These service unit awards show the power of working together for girls.

We honored 29 outstanding individuals with the Appreciation Pin, an award that recognizes outstanding service given to at least one service unit. Every one of these volunteers has shown incredible dedication, passion and service to the girls in our community and they’re changing lives every day. Thank you to these amazing volunteers!

In addition to these awesome Appreciation Pin and President’s Award recipients, we were able to honor volunteers who have contributed to the success of Girl Scouts in the areas of STEM, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Service. To name just a few, we presented the Recruitment Award to the Recruitment Team of Service Unit 604 (Heather Cooper, Chessie Hernandez, Lindsay Peterson, Paige Rahman and Katherine Stitt). The Rising Star Award was given to Barbara Schlesinger for her work with her troop!  Erica Johnson was honored not only as an Appreciation Pin recipient, but also with the G.I.R.L Brand Ambassador Award for her mission-focused storytelling and volunteer work. You all ROCK – THANK YOU!

Philanthropy is a huge part of Girl Scouts, and we wanted to thank a couple of incredible philanthropists that contribute to Girl Scouts! Tara Scherer was honored as the Daisy’s Circle Philanthropist, Ron Grode was honored with the Philanthropist Award and Hallmark received the Corporate Philanthropist Award. Way to go, philanthropists! Thank you for investing in girls!

What an incredible night honoring our East Region team. We can’t thank our incredible volunteers enough; you all are making an incredible impact on girls. Because of you, we are growing G.I.R.L.s who will lead tomorrow! THANK YOU!!

To see a full list of awardees and photos from the night, click here to view our program and gallery.

Girl Scouts Stands with Faith Communities

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Post courtesy of Girl Scouts of USA.

Girl Scouts is focused on developing the potential for leadership in all girls. GSUSA established a positive relationship with the highest leadership of the Catholic Church to benefit and support Catholic Girl Scouts throughout the country.

Unfortunately, some have chosen to perpetuate misinformation that the Catholic Church leadership has acknowledged to be false. Girl Scouts is always willing to work with any and every person or organization in order to fulfill our mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.

Girl Scouts of the USA is proud of its 100-year relationship with the Catholic Church and is pleased that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has on its website the following resources: Questions and Answers About Girl Scouts of the USA and About Catholic Scouting; Background on Girl Scouts of the USA and USCCB Conversations.

For more more Q&A on social issues, visit gsksmo.org/socialissues.

Earth Day the Girl Scout Way

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On Saturday April 22, the United States and 191 other countries will acknowledge and celebrate the 47th Earth Day! Earth Day is a day where individuals are encouraged to do something on their own or with a group to make the world a better place!

As Girl Scouts, we know that we do this every day!

If you’re looking for ways to specifically celebrate Earth Day 2017, we have four ideas for you to go above and beyond what you’re already doing!

  1. Electronic Recycling
    Electronic waste is a growing concern in our country. Right now it represents 2% of America’s landfills but equals 70% of our overall toxic waste. On Earth Day, round up your households old electronics and take them to a recycling center! All Targets have permanent recycling stations for small electronics such as cell phones, mp3 players and ink cartridges. Goodwill accepts donated computers and their related devices (keyboards, scanners, mice, printers, monitors, etc.) and they partner with Dell’s Reconnect program. If you’re looking to recycle TV’s and larger appliances, Best Buys will take all kinds of used tech no matter where you bought it or how old it is!
  1. Volunteer
    Schedule a time to work with an organization that has an impact on the environment! Community Program Partner, After the Harvest is looking groups of Girl Scouts to glean (harvest) excess fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste from local farms and orchards! They then deliver the fresh, nutritious produce to food banks—like Harvesters—and food pantries to feed hungry families.
  2. Car-Less for a Day
    In 2013, transportation contributed more than half of the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and almost a quarter of the hydrocarbons emitted into our air. Instead of taking the car to the neighborhood park, ride your bike or walk instead. Need to get to the store? Use your community’s public transit system!
  3. Use Your Voice
    Is there an environmental issue that you particularly care about and want your government to pay attention to? Then take the time to write your elected official! 

Dr. Seuss really said it best “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

How will you be acknowledging and celebrating Earth Day this year? Let us know in the comments below!

Girl Scout Cookie Superheroes

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Celebrating Our Longest-Serving Product Sales Managers – Part 2

 Earlier this week, we learned about our first five amazing, longest-serving Service Unit Product Sales Managers (SU PSMs) who have served our council for many years. Today, you’ll meet 5 more who have served as SU PSM for 11 to 35+ years. Wow. That’s some serious commitment to G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders)TM.

These volunteers have seen it all. From taking cookie orders on paper to moving to SNAP to increased recognitions for girls, they’ve been critical to improving the program year after year. Not only have they been vital in providing feedback for our council, they’re an invaluable resource for new cookie moms/dads trying to help their troops succeed. Without them, girls wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn these important business skills. We cannot begin to thank them enough for their incredible work and dedication!

Check out Part 1 of this blog here!

Mary Lang with volunteers at cookie deliver; Diana Nolan; Carmellya Anderson at the 2016 Volunteer Celebration and Lesma Whalon with her daughters’ troop.

 

Mary Lang – SU 635 – Prairie Village

“I am so proud to be part of this amazing organization that focuses on “Building girls [and adults] of courage, confidence, and character.”  I hope that my role as PSM helps other girls achieve these characteristics and, hopefully, enjoy their own treasured memories as a Girl Scout as I cherish mine.”

Years as a PSM: 11 years

Proud Girl Scout Mom & Alumna:

  • Daughter, Emily (Alumna)
  • Sister, Bev (Girl Scout & troop leader, leading her daughter’s troop through Bronze, Silver & Gold awards); Sister, Cindy (Alumna); Niece, Becca (Bev’s daughter, active Highest Award Alumna)
  • Mother, Gloria (Camp name was “M&M,” and a Girl Scout in the 1940s. Active volunteer even after graduating, including becoming Day Camp Director)

Her Girl Scout Story:

“Cookie Monster” – that’s the affectionate name passed from SU PSM to SU PSM in SU635! Mary became “Cookie Monster” after being asked by the Service Unit Manager.  Mary was eager to jump on board. With such an extensive GS family background – it’s no wonder! The thing she loves about the Cookie Program specifically is the skills that girls learn and her hope that she’s inspiring future “Cookie Monsters.” With all the changes she’s seen, the willingness of people to help and the inspiring stories of the girls are what keep her motivated. It’s really all about empowering G.I.R.L.s!

 

Diana Nolan – SU 611 – Liberty

“Girl Scouts is a great organization that helps to develop girls into tomorrow’s leaders.  I truly believe that Girl Scouts builds girls courage, confidence and character.  It’s an organization where girls have to opportunity to try new things that they may not have otherwise been able to do.”

Years as a PSM: 11 years

Proud Girl Scout Mom & Alumna:

  • Amanda, Shannon & Peyton (All 3 Girl Scouts K-12, now a Lifetime Girl Scouts)

Her Girl Scout Story:

Diana has never been the type of volunteer to pass up an opportunity to serve! After serving as Service Unit Registrar, Teen Manager, Day Camp Business Manager and various roles on Northland Owl Prowl committee, she wanted something that was consistent. “With Service Unit PSM position, everything is black and white, and as long as you follow the guidelines, it’s a piece of cake (at least for me).” When she began, everything was on paper, so she’s seen the growth of the program into a digital platform that eliminates manual math and double checking. Diana keeps up with this role because she believes in the power of the program and what it teaches girls about business and confidence. Her favorite thing about being a PSM, aside from watching the girls, is the friendships she’s developed in her community. Diana Nolan is awesome! She is stepping away from serving as a PSM to take on other GS volunteer positions.  We know Diana won’t be too far away and available for a cookie question or two from time to time. Thanks, Diana!

 

Carmellya Anderson; Mary Lang with mom, Gloria (Alumna) and GS daughter, Emily; Lesma Whalon

Carmellya Anderson – SU 641 (current) & SU 620 (part of her 18 years) – Kansas City

“I love the learning and program opportunities that cookies  provides to the Girl Scouts in our community. I especially love to see shy girls blossom into confident business women.”

Years as a PSM: 18 years

Proud Girl Scout Mom & Silver Award Alumna:

  • Daughter, Alana (Current Girl Scout Cadette)

Her Girl Scout Story:

Carmellya became a SU PSM after moving to Kansas City from Kentucky when she was looking for ways to meet new people. She tried serving as assistant leader, the scheduling for SU PSM worked much better for her. Fast forward 18 years and she’s still a dedicated volunteer. When she first started she “used to receive four pallets full of material to eye level. A whole lot of paper, paper, paper.” Luckily, technology has caught up to the growing needs of girls and now it’s mostly digital. What kept her motivated through mountains of paper work and years of serving was seeing girls reach their goals and establish skills that will last a lifetime. Between her volunteers and Girl Scouts, she’s found a community through serving and helping to empower G.I.R.L.s.

 

Lesma Whalon – SU 645 – Lee’s Summit/Raytown

“I love helping troop leaders order cookies and when I’m out at the stores, seeing girls selling cookies and the girls see me and go ‘yeah, I’m the cookie lady.’”

Years as a PSM: 20 years

Proud Girl Scout Mom & First Class Alumna:

  • Dacia (Girl Scout K-5th), Shyra (Girl Scout K-12, earned Silver Award), Alyssa (Girl Scout K-12, was featured on cookie boxes from 3rd grade to 12th grade)

Her Girl Scout Story:

When it comes to working hard for girls, Lesma certainly has the years of experience to show she’s dedicated! She became SU PSM after a council staff member asked her to step in. Unlike many PSMs, Lesma had never served as a Troop Cookie Manager, but she was the Leader for her daughters’ troops. Still, she accepted the role like a true Go-getter.  As someone that works in technology, Lesma has watched the change from excel spreadsheets to SNAP and tries to integrate new technology often. When it comes to moving Girl Scouts forward, Lesma is right there to help new troop leaders and support girls. She even attends service unit meetings just to be there for advice! Even though she’s retiring this year, Lesma knows she won’t go far. This First Class Girl Scout is a prime example of leading like a Girl Scout! Thank you, Lesma for your incredible commitment to girls!!

 

Suzan – SU 701 – Topeka

“Over the years of being a SU PSM, I have watched girls go from Daisies to Ambassadors and troops go through the program saving for trips and then listening to their experiences after.”

Years as a PSM: 35+ years

Proud Girl Scout Mom

Her Girl Scout Story:

What started as her daughter raising her hand and volunteering her mother for a job has become over three decades of service to girls. Suzan began serving in Topeka and has made incredible contributions to the program over the years. She gained the nickname “Cookie Lady” after a Brownie stopped her in the store and said “You’re the Cookie Lady, right?” and since then, the name has stuck. With her knowledge, empathy and understanding, she’s able to connect with the long time cookie volunteers just as well as the brand new cookie parent who feels overwhelmed. As she says “I truly understand the first year cookie mom or dad who is overwhelmed by the program. I was there also.” Topeka’s “Cookie Lady,” has been making a positive impact on the lives of Girl Scouts for decades and inspiring generations of girls.

 

Thank you to the 10 awesome volunteers we’ve highlighted in this two-part blog and to everyone who makes the Cookie Program a reality. Thousands of hours of work, countless sleepless nights and lots of heavy lifting go into every cookie season and it’s all because of volunteers who believe in girls. Thank you for supporting our Girl Scouts with their cookie business!

If you want to share a special memory or shout out to any of these volunteers, please leave a comment below.

Rounding Up World Thinking Day Events!

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Where in the world are Girl Scouts? All over our council Girl Scouts have been jumping on virtual planes, hiking invisible mountains and sailing across imaginary seas to learn about different countries and people around the world. It’s because of World Thinking Day events that girls are able to have this awesome exploration in just a few hours! Thanks to the hard work of volunteers and Girl Scout troops, World Thinking Day events are helping girls connect with cultures around the globe.

So what are World Thinking Day events? Generally, World Thinking Day events are hosted by an older Girl Scout troop with the support of adult volunteers within the service unit. Then the fun begins as each troop draws or is assigned a country to research. It’s up to the troop on how they want to learn about and celebrate the country, but at the end, all the troops come together, set up their booths and take turns traveling around the room and shopping. If a troop makes a SWAP or small item, girls can purchase these items (usually for 1-2 quarters) and fill bags with items from around the world. In many service units, the funds raised from the sales are donated to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund, which helps girls travel the world or another charity.

World Thinking Day events ar e also awesome opportunities for girl leadership. Troop 108 from SU 694 in Overland Park, KS hosted their event as their Bronze Award project! We loved the little passports participating Girl Scouts received.

It’s a great way to not only bring together troops, but different cultures! We loved how SU 639 in Overland Park hosted a parade of flags where each country was represented. SU 805 in Maryville also had tables for each country and girls gave presentations! If you want to talk about YUMMY, SU 684 in Paola/Louisburg, had so many treats available, it was hard to try them all. SU 820 in Chillicothe, Princeton & surrounding areas had their event at North Central Missouri College and welcomed two international students (from Zimbabwe and Curacao) to speak!

Taking a different approach, SU 816 in Albany, Bethany & Grant City took troops to the Emerald Isle in an Ireland themed World Thinking Day. Girls kissed a Blarney stone (ps: you have to hang upside down from a castle for the real one, so they recreated it with a chair and fake stone!) and learned a step dance. So cool! SU 701 in Topeka, KS also got girls involved by having hands on activities in their multi-country World Thinking Day. SU 635 in Shawnee Mission got a little theatrical with their World Thinking Day by having troops prepare short presentations that they shared in front of an audience.

And some more shout-outs… We love SU 640 in Raytown Missouri’s use of photo props. Those France photo frames and mustaches are awesome! Way to go, GS Cadette Troop who planned and hosted this event. Girl Scouts from SU 607 in Kansas City put so much research into their displays. They went all out wearing attire and sharing food from their country. They also had awesome photo frames and props to celebrate and remember the day. Thanks, Hollie Miller for taking and sharing your great photos with us!

SU 704 in Manhattan, KS kicked off the Thinking Day season with their awesome and packed event on January 28th. SU 634 in Overland Park had a great event with rave reviews on the treats. Come on… that chocolate fountain in Switzerland is just delicious! And, SU 638 in Overland Park took us from China to Barbados to Bangladesh. What a tour! We’re exhausted!!

Wow – what amazing events and learning opportunities for girls!

Super shout out to all the awesome volunteers, parents, friends and Girl Scouts who make these events possible every year. Together, we’re making the world seem a little bit smaller and celebrating what makes us different and seeing what makes us so alike.

Check out this slideshow of World Thinking Day photos!

Celebrate the Power of G.I.R.L.s During Girl Scout Week!

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Girl Scouts has been doing some pretty amazing things in 105 years. From outdoor adventures, to STEM education to service and helping girls become G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders)TM, Girl Scouts knows that the power of the future lies in the girls of today.

Since we love a good celebration, we’re celebrating the birthday of Girl Scouts (March 12) ALL WEEK LONG! We hope you’ll join us by participating in our themed days below. Don’t forget to share all your Girl Scouting adventures during Girl Scout week on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Use #beGSgreen).

Search the #beGSgreen to see everything going on around the council for this celebration.

Here are a few ways to show your Girl Scout pride March 12-18:

(PS: Don’t forget to share your photos with us @gsksmo (Instagram/Twitter)! Tag it with #beGSgreen and visit our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages!)

Activities below that are underlined & italicized indicate a CHANCE TO WIN a great prize!

Sunday, March 12 – Girl Scout Sunday – Celebrate your faith!

Monday, March 13 – Celebrate your Girl Scout Family & Wear your Girl Scout Uniform or T-shirt Day!

  • Moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandmas, grandpas and other caregivers – being a Girl Scout is a family experience!
  • Share that favorite story and photo – camping fun, FROG dances, field trips, cookies and more! Family members make Girl Scouting possible!
  • Every story and photo shared will be entered for a chance to win a family gift basket from the GS Shop.

Tuesday, March 14 – Celebrate Outdoor Fun & Adventure!

  • Take the outdoors pledgeand share it with others
  • Share your troop photos of the Adventure Program and one troop will win 5 spots to a spring program (Brownie – Ambassador Girl Scouts)
  • Share your summer camp stories (one Girl Scout will win a $150 credit toward a mini or resident camp session for this summer)

Wednesday, March 15 – Celebrate STEM Innovation and Arts & Culture Day!

  • Share your photos from the inventions or art projects you have created, field trips to the theater, museums and STEM partner locations. By sharing and entering, one troop will receive $50 toward a STEM or Arts & Culture Field Trip.

 Thursday, March 16 – Daisy’s Circle Day – Bring Her Promise to Life!

  • If you are a member of Daisy’s Circle, wear your pin today!
  • Invite someone to learn more and join
  • Share why you are proud to be a part of Daisy’s Circle on social media
  • Learn more and join– great member incentives!

Friday, March 17 & Saturday, March 18 – Celebrating Service to Others

  • Make sure you’ve logged your project for Inspire a Girl Service to Others Month!
  • Partner with one of our Community Partners (service) to make a difference.
  • All Girl Scouts who complete and log their projects by March 31 will receive their Inspire a Girl Service to Others Month patch.

We can’t wait to see all the awesome photos and activities that Girl Scouts participate during Girl Scout Week. Take a moment to thank that special Girl Scout and Girl Scout volunteer in your life for their service.  Together, we can make the world a better place for girls.

Have a great Girl Scout Week story to share? Comment below!